News Archives - Page 44 of 48

House Puts Off Action on Controversial Anti-Semitism Bill

hzDecember 10, 2016December 11, 2016News

JTA

The House of Representatives delayed action on a bill targeting campus anti-Semitism until 2017, putting off action on a measure that had been backed by mainstream Jewish groups, criticized by civil libertarians and passed unanimously by the Senate on Dec. 1.

Jewish Insider reported Friday, citing an anonymous congressional staff official, that Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia), chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary, opposed “rushing” the bill through the House without adequate study.

The bill outlined when criticism of Israel crosses into anti-Semitism, citing the “three D’s” first advanced by Natan Sharansky, the Israeli politician and former prisoner of the Soviet gulag: demonization, double standards and delegitimization.

hzDecember 9, 2016News

JTA

The absence of an EU definition for hatred of Jews does not compromise efforts to fight the phenomenon, the body’s coordinator on combating anti-Semitism said.

Katharina von Schnurbein, who last year became the first EU official to hold the title, defended the European Union’s ability to counter anti-Semitism in an interview with JTA at the Brussels headquarters of Google, where she attended the launch of the Facing Facts online course on hate crimes developed by the group CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe.

hzDecember 9, 2016News

Times of Israel

An Istanbul court on Friday dropped the case against four top former Israeli commanders who were being tried in absentia over a 2010 deadly IDF raid on a Gaza-bound ship, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

An arrest warrant for the four was also withdrawn, Gulden Sonmez, a lawyer representing those on board during the raid, wrote on Twitter after a closed door hearing in Istanbul.

hzDecember 9, 2016News

Times of Israel

The Fifth Committee of the United Nations is set to decide next week whether to allocate funds to ensure that a motion by the body’s Human Rights Council to create a “blacklist” of companies operating in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights can be implemented.

The Human Rights Council motion had passed in March with no countries voting against. The resolution required UN human rights officials to produce a database of “all business enterprises” that have enabled or profited from the growth of Israeli settlements, Haaretz reported.

hzDecember 9, 2016News

Times of Israel

A Terror cell made up of East Jerusalem teenagers planning to carry out a shooting attack on an IDF base in the capital was arrested in recent days, the Shin Bet security service announced Friday.

The group, which allegedly included members of the Hamas terrorist organization, was made up of eight Arab Israeli residents of the Tsur Baher and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, the Shin Bet said. The security agency would not specify when exactly the arrests were made, but said they happened in the month of November.

hzDecember 8, 2016December 9, 2016News

JTA

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is headed to Israel for the first time as a legislative battle heats up over a proposed state law banning investments in companies that boycott Israel.

The trip is being organized by the New England Israel Business Council. It is focused on cybersecurity and digital health, and aims to bolster already strong ties between Massachusetts and Israeli companies, startups and academic partnerships. Baker departs Thursday.

hzDecember 8, 2016December 9, 2016News

Times of Israel

A day ahead of a government shutdown deadline, Congress scrambled on Thursday to wrap-up unfinished business, voting decisively to send President Barack Obama a defense policy bill, including more than $600 million for missile defense cooperation with Israel.

The Senate passed the defense legislation by a wide margin, 92-7, a week after the House overwhelmingly approved the measure, 375-34.

hzDecember 8, 2016December 11, 2016News

JTA

The Ohio Senate approved a bill targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, all but assuring it will become law.

The bill passed Thursday by a vote of 26-5 and now awaits Gov. John Kasich’s signature. The state’s House of Representatives passed the measure last month.

The legislation prohibits the state from contracting with companies that engage in boycotts of Israel, including firms located outside of the state. It also would require companies to explicitly state in contracts that they are not boycotting or divesting from Israel, according to the Cleveland Jewish News.

hzDecember 8, 2016December 8, 2016News

Times of Israel

Israel is working to keep chemical weapons out of Hezbollah’s hands, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Thursday, clarifying comments a day earlier that hinted the terror group was attempting to obtain mass-casualty arms.

In a conversation with the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Liberman again seemed to confirm that Israeli forces had been behind two recent strikes inside Syria that had been blamed on the Jewish State.

hzDecember 8, 2016December 8, 2016News

Reuters

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday it was in the interest of the United States to remain committed to a multilateral nuclear treaty.

The U.S. Senate voted last week to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for 10 years, and Iran vowed to retaliate, saying it violated last year’s agreement with six major powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of international financial sanctions.

A diplomatic thaw between the United States and Iran over the past two years appears in jeopardy with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump taking office next month.

House Puts Off Action on Controversial Anti-Semitism Bill

Brussels Can Fight Jew-Hatred without Definition of it, Says Envoy on Anti-Semitism

Turkish Court Drops Case Against Israelis Over Gaza Flotilla Raid

UN Blacklist of Companies Working in Settlements Advances

Shin Bet Busts Terror Cell Planning to Shoot Up IDF Base in the Capital

Massachusetts Governor Heads to Israel as BDS Fight Heats Up

Congress Okays $600m. for Israel Missile Defense

Ohio Senate Approves Anti-BDS Bill

Israel Trying to Keep Chemical Arms from Hezbollah, Liberman Says

Iran Minister Says in U.S. Interest to Stay Committed to Nuclear Pact